The RISE (Reaching Investment Success for Everyone) Investment Program is a multi-year strategic partnership between Stackwell and United Way of Southeast Louisiana, granting $25,000 in seed investment funding to the heads of ALICE households participating in United Way of Southeast Louisiana's Moving Families Forward Program, funded by the Siemer Institute and other donors.

The RISE Investment Program is designed to specifically address the ongoing financial hardships experienced by ALICE households in the Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes of Louisiana.

The pilot program will distribute $2,500 in seed investment grants to each program participant’s investment account on the Stackwell platform and will provide access to financial wellness education and other resources to help increase their investing confidence and financial wellness.

Only individuals that are the heads of ALICE households in United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s Moving Families Forward program should apply. 

The RISE Investment Program will be offered to the ten (10) individuals that are the heads of ALICE households in United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s Moving Families Forward program. 

Individuals interested in applying to participate the RISE Investment Program must complete an application.

The application window will close at 11:59pm CST on Thursday, October 3, 2024. 

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance into the RISE Investment Program on October 8, 2024, and will be required to complete all necessary onboarding steps by December 30, 2024 to remain eligible to participate in the program.

Failure to complete all necessary onboarding steps by December 30, 2024 will result in your loss of eligibility to participate in the program. 

The Stackwell team will communicate primarily through email and text about program requirements. We’ll let participants know when we’ll be in town for the required in-person workshops, and share other news and resources about how to be successful throughout the program.  

In addition to the workshops, participants will receive financial wellness education through the Stackwell app’s self-guided curriculum and other channels (e.g., newsletters, social media, opportunities to connect with the Stackwell team virtually, etc.).  

To receive the full $2,500 seed investment grant, all participants will be required to:  

• Answer surveys before and throughout the program  

• Attend four in-person workshops to be held at the United Way Prosperity Center, hosted quarterly (exact location TBD)  

• Provide feedback in conversations with the Stackwell team 

As part of the RISE Investment Program, participants have the opportunity to contribute to a valuable research study conducted by Stackwell. This will involve completing surveys and providing feedback in conversations with the Stackwell team, which will help enhance the program and benefit future participants.

If applicants choose not to participate in the study, they will not be eligible for enrollment in the program. 

Upon acceptance into the program, participants must:  

• Download the Stackwell app to your smartphone. 

• Register for a Stackwell account using the email address provided in your initial application to the program.  

• Answer a pre-program survey shared by email/text.  

• Attend our kick-off workshop to be held mid-October at a United Way Prosperity Center. Accepted participants will be informed of event details via email.

We will contact you in early January to inform you if you are accepted into the RISE program.

Program applicants on the wait list should monitor their email inboxes regularly – acceptance off the wait list and into the program will be communicated via email.  

No. Admission into the program off of the waitlist will be based on your responses to the initial program application. 

However, we encourage all individuals interested in the RISE Program to consider downloading the Stackwell app and starting their learning and investing journey with Stackwell. 

Programming for the RISE Investment Program is expected to commence in October 2024. Accepted participants will be informed of event details via email.

Participants will receive the $2,500 grant after successfully onboarding to the Stackwell Platform and attending the mid-October kick-off workshop. The grant will be available in participants’ Stackwell accounts no more than 24 hours after the workshop.  

The grant amount will be “locked up” for a period of eighteen (18) months after it first appears in participants’ Stackwell accounts – meaning, participants cannot withdraw from the account right away (the “Initial Lock-up Period”). This helps all participants understand the movement of the stock market over a period of time, benefit from interest income, and build healthy investing habits. After the Initial Lock-up Period has passed, each participant will be allowed to withdraw up to $1,000 from their account.  

The remaining $1,500 of seed funding allocated to program participants will be locked up for an additional six (6) month period after the expiration of the Initial Lock-up Period (the “Second Lock-up Period”). Participants will be able to freely withdraw from their investment accounts after the expiration of the Second Lock-up Period.   

The Stackwell team will facilitate financial wellness education throughout the program. We may get some local support from financial wellness experts from our network of partners. Four in-person workshops will be held quarterly, over one year at a United Way Prosperity Center. 

Throughout the program, participants can also access financial wellness education through other Stackwell resources: on the Stackwell platform through our self-guided learning content, our social media platforms, and with opportunities to connect virtually with the Stackwell team.  

Yes! In fact, we strongly encourage you to invest your own funds into the market on a regular recurring basis.